Vinyl siding has become a very popular exterior finishing product primarily due to its relatively low cost and durability when compared to traditional materials such as wood or metal. In addition, vinyl siding can also be provided in a wide variety of colors and patterns, and is more flexible and forgiving, and hence, will not deform plastically under minor impact loads. Vinyl siding is also easy to machine and cut and can be worked with almost any hand tool at the construction site.
While the installation of exterior vinyl siding panels is relatively straightforward, installing vinyl siding around doors and windows requires more labor and expertise. Common finishing techniques for vinyl siding construction around doors, windows and other exterior openings typically involves the placement of trim accessories around the periphery of the door or window. While interior door and window trim is primarily aesthetic, outdoor trim requires consideration of the effects of rain, snow, wind and other natural elements.
The installation of aluminum siding requires special trim pieces or accessories to be formed and placed around these exterior openings. Typically, these trim pieces are specially designed to direct water away from these openings. As a result, during installation, these adjoining trim pieces require special preparation to avoid the infiltration of natural elements.
In the prior art, the interconnection of corner trim accessories for vinyl siding involves the construction of a "rain tab." The "rain tab" directs water flow from a longitudinal trim accessory into a vertical trim accessory that together form a mitered section. However, the preparation and construction of these "rain tabs" requires additional and costly labor by installers to create the "rain-tab" prior to installation.
Thus it would be desirable to provide a convenient and simplified means to interconnect siding accessories while still providing sufficient weather protection for the underlying structure.